Comments on: Another Parental Wake Up Call!

By: Parental Wake Up Call | CrossFit Toronto

Parental Wake Up Call | CrossFit Toronto — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 19:41:28 +0000

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By: fiona

fiona — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 11:48:39 +0000

omg you are so right on every point that you made.
i have a 5 year old girl and she has no sweets or chocolate or general junk like that and myself and my partner made this descision from day one but whne i told my health vistor this,rather than support us she told us this isnt something we should fully do we were told to perhaps not give as much as she may binge when shes older or resent us for not letting her have it,which is just crazy im protecting my childs health,teeth,bones,inmune system and etc.
when she 1st started school and i told them also that i didnt want them to let her have any they asked me is it because of an allergy and i told them no its for her health and they just looked at me gone out like i was deprizing her of air or something,also they asked well hw are we meant to reward her then? to which i replyed 1.it doent have to be done with food but if so use friut perhaps(which she loves)or a sticker.it doesnt have to be an unhealthy treat that doesn install good patterns in life.
im not saying that im perfect but its not hard to make a meal from scratch or go for a walk rather than use the car.
are chilldren are the future we should build them to last that way.

By: Snarkout

Snarkout — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 14:14:00 +0000

It a time when weening at a few months then formula-feeding children is considered normal, and handing a child off to a stranger to watch all day before the age of two is considered par for the course, wtf are we supposed to expect? With the computer revolution came several things, one of which was dual-income households being the norm, leaving little time for raising children, and the other was an addiction to convenience. Paradigm shifts are never easy, and there’s often quite a bit of fallout.

Kids have always eaten tons of crap – that’s part of being a kid – the difference is that kids also used to spend 6-12 hours a day running around outside, and had to be dragged in by the ear sometime after dusk. Now they have to be dragged kicking and screaming away from the tv after “only” 5 hours of Spongebob. Now people, kids included, talk about getting winded playing Mariokart on the Wii and what a killer workout Guitar Hero is. We’ve been getting more and more sedentary for a few hundred years.

Poor health isn’t anything new, though – people have been finding ways to destroy their health for as long as health was a normal thing. I often wonder if the real change we’re seeing as a society isn’t just an overabundance of information, studies like these included.

By: Administrator

Administrator — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 11:03:54 +0000

Stephen – Marinovich wasn’t raising a child, he was trying to CREATE an athlete. A kid needs to be a kid. Forcing a child to become something is poor parenting. I’ve discussed this concept in past child-related blog entries (you can find them within this blog).

With that said, regularly sending your child to McDonald’s shouldn’t be associated with “normal” parenting either. We as a whole need to change what is considered normal and optimal.

Just for an example, we bought a huge ice cream cake for my son’s birthday in May. My son had a few bites, but was more interested in the fruit bowl. He ate strawberries and blueberries and was hardly interested in the cake. He has grown up eating fruit and that IS a treat for him. Most of his peers are the same way. Based on what I’ve seen in 2 and a half years of parenting, kids start out this way, but change over time based on what they are exposed to.

I’m not here to deprive my child of anything, but I will certainly promote a certain lifestyle (which is everything but deprivation).

Ross

By: Stephen

Stephen — Sun, 23 Nov 2008 21:37:42 +0000

Ross,
I agree with you about doing everything you can to make sure your child is healthy, but sometimes I think about Todd Marinovich, whose dad raised him from birth to be a star quarterback. When he was growing up, the kid worked with all sorts of coaches and never ate a Big Mac or anything with sugar in it. When he went to friends’ birthday parties, he passed on the cake and ice cream.
He needed up getting that college scholarship and pro contract that he was raised to get, but he also had several drug-related run-ins with the law.
I don’t know if he would have had those problems had he led a more “normal” childhood, though that does seem to be the prevailing opinion.
I’m not trying to be a jerk and I’m sorry if I come off that way, but I’m just wondering what your take on Marinovich was.

By: karthik

karthik — Sat, 22 Nov 2008 23:25:50 +0000

While I believe in personal responsibility and a parent’s obligation towards cultivating an healthy dietary regimen in their kids, there is something to be said for the government’s role in this too. Successive governments in this country have been in the pockets of the farming industry (comprised of mega corporations). This has caused the food market to be flooded with cheap high-carb items loaded with trans-fats and corn syrup.

“Tell me what you eat and I will tell you what you are”

By: Scott

Scott — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 23:24:51 +0000

Hey Ross,
Right on the head man!!! Kids will learn and imitate almost exactly the habits of the parents (their first teachers). I’m proud to say my son is 2 1/2 and has never watched even 10 minutes of TV since my wife and I don’t subscribe to it. Sure we watch DVD’s, but he is long asleep when we watch them. As far as food goes, he eats what we eat, meat, steamed veggies, and fruit. He loves Carlson’s Fish oil, half teaspoon daily. The old saying goes “you get out what you put in” and that could’t be further from the truth. Keep up the great work it is appreciated.

Scott

By: blake

blake — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 22:50:22 +0000

ross

this is why i love you man! the workouts are top notch, but THIS is what IT is all about. parents have to do a better job of protecting their children from our fast food TV society. as i read this i can hear your passion and it is a great example you are settig and teaching to your readers. much appreciated.

By: Elliott Hulse

Elliott Hulse — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 01:06:48 +0000

Great Post Ross! i have 3 little girls and we feed them the same stuff we eat… real meat, veggies and water.

i cant figure out why people put themselves on diets and then feed their kids pop tarts and hot dogs…

kids need MORE nutritient dense foods than adults!

have you ever read anything from the Weston A Price Foundation? http://www.westonprice.org – good stuff about children and nutrition.

Elliott

By: Reese

Reese — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 06:32:56 +0000

You go boy! I live in a town where there are 7 fast food restaurants all next door to each other (i’m not exaggerating) And everyday these places are packed with lines whipping around the building. I feel bad for the kids cause they don’t know any more than what their parents show them at that age. You’re really on the ball with your parenting skills if your little one doesn’t even know what a hotdog tastes like. When I become a parent, my child is going to think that apples and bananas are candy. They don’t need to know what an M&M tastes like to be happy.